čtvrtek 14. září 2017

Only a few towns in the world have played such an important role in the development of mining and metallurgy as Jáchymov (Joachimsthal). Founded in 1516 on a rock slope in the Erzgebirge, the town is one of the birthplaces for the sciences of mining, metallurgy and mineralogy, the main foundations of which were provided in the 16th century by Georgius Agricola. In 1716, the world’s first mining school was founded in Jáchymov. In the Svornost mine, which is still functional today, uranium ore was extracted systematically for the first time in the world, an achievement that dates back to the 19th century. In 1898, Marie Curie isolated the radioactive elements radium and polonium for the first time in Jáchymov ores. Up until the outbreak of the First World War, Jáchymov was a world leader in the production of radium. In 1906, the first radon spa in the world was founded in Jáchymov. Radioactive water is still extracted from the Svornost mine for curative purposes today.

The existence of an original fortress on
the site of today's castle is assumed from sometime around the middle
of the 14th century. The first written source is an entry into the land
records from 1465, mentioning the division of the property of deceased
Ctibor of Zásmuk, also of Vlčetín, between his two sons Petr and
Václav. The fortress then might have been sold into the ownership of
Diviš Boubínský of Újezd, who sometime around 1530 sold it to the
knightly family of Káb of Rybňan.

Of the Káb family, the most
interesting character was undoubtedly the Knight Jan, a capable manager,
active builder, and loyal Habsburg servant, who represented the
prestigious office of tax collector in the Bechyňe region. His short
life was tragically marked by the plague, which took five of his
children in 1557. This might have been the reason that the simple
castle chapel on the hill above the lake was built (today the chapel of
the Holy Trinity). After Jan's death, Lhota was inherited by his three
sons Bohuchval, Zikmund, and Jiří, who first had to compensate their
older brother Jaroslav. Zikmund died four years later, and the families
of the two remaining brothers Bohuchval and Jiří lived in Lhota at
odds. The castle ceased to be their quiet home and became a theatre of
squabbles, arguments, and personal assaults. It could be some of the
stories captured in the memories of the occasional observers which gave
life to the stories of the godless castle lady possessed by the devil,
her tragic end marked by the bloody stain under the window on the then
snow-white facade. This stain is said to have been the later reason to
plaster the entire castle red. Such folklore later became the main
motif of the enthralling prose of the Deštná priest Bedřich Kamarýt.

In 1597 Bohuchval's son Jan
bought his uncle Jiří's share of the castle, and instantly sold the
reunited dominion to Vilém Rut of Dírná. The Rut family had owned Dírná
since the 14th century, and had bought Deštná from the Rožmberks in
1595. Červená Lhota lay directly in the center and thereby joined the
three dominions together. Lhota never was separated from Deštná again.
The last of the Ruts, Bohuslav, had to leave the Bohemian lands as an
Ultraquist after the Battle of White Mountain.

In 1621 Červená Lhota was
inhabited by Antonio Bruccio, a knightly commander of the Empirical
army, an Italian noble who, in the service of the Slavats, oversaw the
confiscation of Tábor and from 1621 served as commander of the municipal
forces in Jindřichův Hradec. A fiery Catholic and great Marianic
venerator, Bruccio proved to be a good diplomat and manager. He
successfully protected the region from post-war pillaging, and
strengthened the economic prosperity of Deštná by building a luxurious
spa. The only remainder of the spa today is the chapel of St. John the
Baptist, built directly above the source of the healing mineral waters.
The dominion, evacuated by war, was shortly repopulated and Bruccio's
own promise of loyalty to his Catholic subjects contributed to the
settling of the area. In 1639 Bruccio died without an heir, leaving
great contributions to the Deštná church of St. Otto and the Jindřichův
Hradec church of St. John the Baptist, where he was buried. With his
death, Lhota lost is function as a residence and served his successors
simply as a simple occasional cotttage.

After Bruccio's death,
Červená Lhota passed into the management of the royal chamber, from
which in 1641 the renowned aristocrat Vilém Slavat of Chlum and
Košumberk bought it. His drive, diplomatic skill, education, and high
intelligence led him to a high official career. From the position of
royal marshall to Karlštejn burgrave to the president of the Bohemian
chamber, he became the highest court-master of the Empirical court and
soon afterwards the highest chancellor of the Bohemian kingdom, where he
remained despite several resignations until his death. His marriage to
Lucia Otýlia of Hradec meant the integration into one of the largest
dominions in Bohemia at the time, that of Jindřichův Hradec. Červená
Lhota then became a sort of summer residence, a place of parties,
celebrations, and relaxation namely for the ladies of the Slavat
family. Among Vilém's great-grandchildren there were no sons, so with
the wedding of the second-born daughter Marie Markéta of Ferdinand
Vilém, the oldest of Vilém's grandsons, the castle passed into the hands
of the Windischgrätz family. Bedřich Arnošt Windischgrätz and his son
Leopold dragged the dominion into great debts due to their out-dated
style of economics, so the custodian of his under-aged successor Josef
recommended the sale of the dominion. In 1755 the castle then was
obtained by the free lords of Gudenus. Franz de Paul, free lord of
Gudenus, shortly afterwards initiated several constructions. Not only
was the spa chapel in Deštná repaired, but the church of St. Otto was
decoratively furnished, most of which is still preserved today. Other
building activities were brought to an abrupt halt in 1774 by a great
fire, which destroyed essentially all agricultural buildings. In 1776
Červená Lhota welcomed a new owner, Baron Ignác Stillfried, a
progressive aristocrat of Prussian Silesia, who immediately sold the
Deštná spas into private hands. This definitively marked the end of
Červená Lhota's aristocratic flavor. The Baron wrote his chapter of
history into the castle mainly as a host and sponsor of the aging
composer Karel Ditters of Dittersdorf, whose lifelong pilgrimage ended
here at the castle after a four-year residency.

In 1820 Ignác's son sold the dominion
to Jakub Veith. If this enterprising industrialist and sponsor of
Czech artists had any plans with Lhota, he evidently didn't manage to
realize any of them. His daughter Terezie sold the castle again in
1835, this time into the princely hands of Heinrich Eduard
Schönburg-Hartenstein.

Heinrich Eduard
Schönburg-Hartenstein, a major in the Austrian army, diplomat and
chamberlain, settled in his newly-purchased dominion Černovice in 1823,
and bought Červená Lhota in 1835. The center of his dominion, however,
was Černovice, which became Heinrich's second home after Vienna. It is
curious, then, that he sold Černovice in 1872 and the only item he left
for his son Josef Alexandr of his South Bohemian property was Červená
Lhota. Josef Alexandr Schönburg-Hartenstein, member of the Crown
Council, was also active in diplomatic services. His youngest son and
heir was Prince Johann, chamberlain, bearer of the Order of the Golden
Fleece, Great Cross of the Order of Leopold, Order of the Iron Crown,
Great Cross of the Maltese Order and Order of Christ. His greatest
diplomatic accomplishment was fullfilled in his role as ambassador at
the Pope's table in the Vatican. The First World War and consequent
dissolution of the beloved monarchy caused Johann to withdraw into the
solace of his dearest seat, Červená Lhota, where he evidently devoted
himself to the reconstruction of the castle. In 1937 he was buried into
the newly-built tomb, and thus was spared the destructive events of the
new war, which drew the curtains closed for the entire aristocratic
history of Červená Lhota castle.

After the confiscation of the castle
by the Czechoslovakian state in 1946 a children's clinic was established
here, a year later it was assumed by the National Cultural Commission,
and in 1949 it was opened to the public.

About me:

I am Michaela (misagan), a postcard collector for several years with goal to receive several written and stamped postcards from every country in the world. Here I want to share with you stamped postcards and other stuffs I received so far and of course my joy of them! If you want to help me to enlarge my collection please let me know or send me a postcard as a surprise. I will definintely appreciate it! :)